Page 208 of Ruthless Court

“Go to your girl.”

He pats my shoulder. “Cheer up Haverhill. I won Cortez fair and square, remember? Go find tortoise shell.”

“You’re making it worse.”

“Usually how I help,” he grins. “Book lady was hawt. I get it. Not your usually look. Kinda like a cover reveal.. under the chunky sweater⁠—”

“I’m gonna pop you one right here if you don’t shut up.”

“Damn, you are keyed up. I was just messing with you.” He heads toward Stella.

I check Hannah’s section one more time before following the team through the tunnel.

Coach keeps us in the locker room longer than I want.

The win puts us alone at the top of the conference, which means no one leaves without reviewing what went right and what could still cost us later.

He praises the ball movement.

Calls out two lazy defensive rotations.

Then freezes the screen on my second-quarter drive after the missed whistle.

My shoulder has already turned.

“There,” Coach says, tapping the board. “That possession gets you buried in March.”

I lean forward.

On-screen, I reject the screen, gather early, and nearly lose the ball before Eli saves the play.

Coach advances to the third quarter.

This time, I keep my dribble alive and wait for the help defender before dropping the pass to Vale.

“That’s the correction,” he says. “Know the difference.”

I do.

The difference was sitting courtside with red candy between her teeth.

When Coach releases us, the music comes back on. Guys shout over one another while staff collect uniforms and towels.

I shower fast, judging by Noah’s expression when I pull on jeans and a black hoodie before my hair stops dripping.

“You have somewhere to be?”

“Home.”

“With the girl in the glasses?”

“I don’t know where she is.”

Eli looks over from his locker.

“That sounded distressed.”

“I’m not distressed.”